Legendary
by Oi-Watch-It-Spaceman
Summary: Rose is the only princess in her kingdom, facing unwanted marriage, when a trip outside the castle walls put her in the path of a stranger. His name is the Doctor, and he gives her the chance to come with him and join him on his dangerous and ongoing quest: slaying dragons. With her on his side, they could become a legendary team, or maybe more. It could never be that simple.
1. Chapter 1

**A bit of scene setting here, but it really starts to get going in the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.**

The kingdom of Tyleria was reasonably small, but proud, encompassing both the great mountain range of the north and the wild forest to the east. It had a few densely populated cities, but the royal palace was nestled just outside the largest one, easily defendable but set slightly away from the bustle of the centre of the kingdom.

The entire land was ruled over by King Peter and Queen Jacqueline, who were both just and brave, proud of their kingdom and the people they governed. Of course they had enemies, as any ruler of any land is bound to have at some stage, but as a whole they were popular among the general populace, and their leadership of their people was wise and fair.

The entire kingdom rejoiced when the King and Queen were blessed with their first child, a beautiful baby girl whom they named Rose, after her great grandmother who had led Tyleria's army through the great war that had ravaged the country when Rose's grandmother had been a child. There was an enormous portrait of Queen Rosita of Tyleria in one of the halls in the castle, and Rose used to scamper away and look at it every now and then as a child. Her grandmother was young and strong, dressed in the apparel of a soldier of the day, the royal crest adorning her shield. She looked brave and mysterious and, Rose thought, wonderful, and she spent many an hour over the years of her childhood comparing herself to that picture, trying to pick out similarities in their faces and wondering whether she could ever be as brilliant and courageous as her namesake had been.

Growing up as the eldest heir of the royal family was a rather strange experience for Rose, full of contradictions. Her parents adored her and spent as much time with her as possible, but they were constantly being called away to meetings and discussions and trips to survey the kingdom, and so Rose was left in the care of governesses and servants more often than either she or her parents would have liked. She was expected to be mature and well mannered and polite, but she was also never told anything of consequence and kept away from any matters of state that may or may not concern her. Because of this, Rose grew up feeling that her place in the palace was fairly pointless. She seemed to be being prepared for a life of royalty, and yet being taught about which knives and forks to use, and being dressed up and presented to the populace, seemed to have nothing to do with the job of great importance she would have to do one day when she was old enough.

Princess Rose was a sweet young girl, with round cheeks and large eyes and blonde hair that was tangled more often than not, and that she was loathe to let anyone cut. At the age of eight she was energetic and playful, wishing to run around the palace gardens and pretend that she was a knight, a wooden stick for her sword and an old pan from the kitchens as her shield, which she had rescued before it had been thrown away. She read the books she was given or told to read by her parents and teachers, and she enjoyed them, but she also enjoyed building a bridge out of them, or lining them up on their sides and tipping the first one so that they all toppled into each other with satisfying bangs. This always ended up with the palace servants running towards the cause of the disturbance, and with Rose being chastised and led away to be cleaned up and put to some task that more suited a princess, but she enjoyed the fun while it lasted.

As she grew older, Rose began to accept the monotony of her life in the palace, and the ways in which she amused herself grew less and less overt and disruptive. The time she used to spend rebelling and escaping she now spent daydreaming, staring out of the palace windows while she was supposed to be doing embroidery, or gazing at the page of the book she was supposed to be reading without really seeing it, imagining that there was more to her life than having every second of her day scheduled.

Once she hit the age of about 15, Rose began to understand that growing up as a princess brought up a whole new set of problems now that she was at an age that was seen to be mature enough for her to courted. She was now expected to attend balls and dinners and celebrations, treated as a mature lady, and shown the attentions of men and boys who might wish that she would one day become their wife. Personally, Rose found the whole experience humiliating and degrading, as though the only thing she was good for was to be married to a man. The way that they looked at her, with hunger and sometimes what looked like violence in their eyes, shocked and disgusted her, and however many nice young boys there were who were simply doing what they thought they must, there were always the men who would swoop in and drag her off for a dance as though it was their right and her duty to submit to them. She would tell them off for this, of course, but although her parents respected her feelings (and were privately very proud of her for being strong-willed enough to keep these sorts of men at bay) they could not simply get rid of any and all of the men who wished to gain her attention. They risked offending lords and dukes and other people of great importance if they refused to let any specific person interact with Rose, and although they wanted her to marry who she wished, there was a certain amount of diplomacy and politics that went into choosing a consort for the Princess of the Realm.

It did not help that Rose had grown into a beautiful young woman. She sometimes cursed this fact, and attempted to make herself look haggard and surly and therefore undesirable to the opposite sex, but it simply did not seem to have any affect. She had a nicely curved figure, skin that was smooth and mostly free from spots and blemishes – though no young girl in the world could be without her fair share of these, not even the princess – large brown eyes that glittered and plump lips that, when she smiled, spread into such a joyful smile that it seemed to make her whole face shine with soft, golden light. Her hair was long and gold, streaming down her back in thick strands that still had a tendency to get tangled when she went sprinting down the palace halls, ignoring the yells from the servants that she should be walking in a dignified manner. It wasn't that she did it deliberately – she just forgot, just like she sometimes tore or spilled things on her expensive dresses and jewelled finery, or fell asleep in meetings or got the giggles during an important dinner and had to be excused. She was a human being, as she had told her parents crossly not too long ago, and she wasn't going to pretend to be perfect because she wasn't. Princesses didn't have to be perfect – and even if they did, Rose wasn't going to be, possibly just because she liked being contrary to what people expected and told her to be.

Her golden hair was a source of much interest. Her family had had red hair for many generations. Although it skipped some of the children, in every generation there was at least one child who kept up the tradition. Her great grandmother Rosita had had red hair, and Rose used to stare at her portrait and then back at her own hair, willing it to change to bright red to please her parents and uphold the tradition of her family. Rose's mother's hair used to be blonde, not quite the same shade of natural, shining gold that Rose's was, but it had darkened as she had grown older, and was now a shade of dark blonde that was verging on light brown. This had happened quite late to the Queen, but happen it had. It was not abnormal for children of the kingdom to have blonde hair until they reached the age of 11 or so, when it darkened to brown or auburn or black. Rose, on the other hand, had retained the gold colour of her childhood hair, something which was not exactly unheard of, but that had never been seen on a child of the royal family before now.

This, coupled with her distinctive yet beautiful features and her unorthodox behaviour, made Rose a very easily spotted person. She liked to skulk in corners when she was feeling sulky, or creep around the castle, trying to discover secret passages or simply find a place to sit and nap without being disturbed, but getting about unseen when she was so distinctive was nigh on impossible. It angered her more than anything that she had just about no privacy even though she was meant to be one of the most important people in the kingdom, and it was this that made Rose determined that, when she ruled the kingdom, she would make sure she was left alone at least some of the time, in order that she could do what she wanted to do. As Queen, she felt she would deserve that right.

Since her little brother had been born, however, everything had changed. Rose had learned that, due to rules set forth hundreds of years ago, it would be Anthony (a red headed child, much to everyone's delight) who would become ruler when he came of age, as he was the oldest male heir. Her parents were trying to work to get this law, and others like it, lifted, but working through the courts and with advisors and officials make the process slow and tedious, with no hope really that the law would be revoked any time soon. This had infuriated Rose no end, as she had no intention of following any rules that marked her out as worth less than anyone else because she was female. However, she had to admit, she was glad that she would never have to take on the burden of being a ruler. As far as Rose was concerned, the moment she would have been crowned Queen would have been the moment that she said goodbye to any notion of freedom or privacy. If anything happened to her parents before Anthony came of age, then Rose would be crowned automatically, but she had hopes that this would never happen.

Of course, being out of line to the throne came with a new set of problems, the most pressing of which being that Rose was now a princess from an ancient kingdom who would not become ruler, and therefore was seen to be up for the taking by monarchs from different kingdoms and many other lords, barons, dukes, counts and any number of miscellaneous high-born men. The attentions that she had been shown almost incessantly since she had turned 15 now reached an all time high, and Rose was desperate to escape from the constant speculation over how she would spend the rest of her life – or rather, who with. She did not want to go from being stuck in the palace to being stuck as someone's wife for all eternity. Instead of reading books and pretending that she was out exploring, she wanted to be doing it. She wanted more out of her life than what it looked like she was going to get. Rose wanted to see the world. The likelihood of this happening was not looking promising at the moment.

Sick of being readied for a life she did not want, Rose had hatched a plan. It wasn't that she didn't really like dressing up and dancing and staying up until the early hours of the morning – in fact she had always loved to do those things – but now it always felt as if she was being paraded, like a horse being walked around a pen before buyers started bidding on it. Being watched constantly meant that every little mistake she made was magnified by a factor of 20 or so, and she could not stand to be gasped at and whispered about when she got a bit of dirt on her favourite dress.

Having decided she was not going to get married off before she had seen some of the outside world, Rose planned and schemed and made a decision that, this evening, she was venturing beyond the castle walls. She was 19 years old, nearly 20, and it would not be long before she had to make a decision on who she was going to marry. Knowing that this was true, she realised that if she was going to do this, it would have to be now, before it was too late.

Rose slipped out of the side door and ran towards the wall, staying near to the castle for as long as possible. She pulled up the hood of her cloak as she ran, hoping to be able to deny any accusations that might be made if anyone saw her. It was just unfortunate that her golden hair was so distinctive.

She sneaked to the ivy covered section of the wall and pulled some of the green plant away from the stone to reveal a hole, just big enough for her to climb through. She had been told of it by one of the servants, a friendly, outspoken girl called Donna who had informed her that the hole was used by a few of the servants to sneak out and meet their sweethearts or lovers. Rose was not really interested in using it for that purpose, but it seemed that it would suit her needs and so she only allowed herself the smallest of backward glances before crawling through the hole. The stone scratched at her dress but she ignored the thought of any damage that might be done to her expensive clothing and continued onwards.

Rose straightened up on the other side of the wall, feeling the sense of freedom already even though she had not ventured more than one step from her home, the home that she had barely ever been allowed to leave since the moment of her birth.

She took a deep breath and straightened her skirts before setting out determinedly on the road into the city.

It was early evening, and the sun had barely begun to think about setting, leaving all the colours clean and fresh and soft in its gentle light. Rose could almost feel herself beginning to skip and jump along the road, though of course she would never attract attention to herself in that way. Being caught doing this would land her in very deep trouble, not only with her mother and father, but also with any person who might have quarrels with the King and Queen. Meeting a person who bore a grudge against the royal family would probably not go very well for Rose.

Maybe that was why this expedition of hers did not seem to be exactly sensible.

Regardless of any foolishness or even idiocy on her part, Rose walked resolutely on towards the village. At the age of nineteen she would be expected to get married any time now, and she was not going to enter into that very specific sort of imprisonment without going into the outside world. In about two minutes she came to the outskirts of the city, and Rose sighed as she looked around her, a feeling of utter happiness spreading through her. The streets near the edge were busy but not too full, the early summer evening warm and perfect for both trading and socialising. All these happy, normal people milling around made the atmosphere so welcoming, but even better was the fact that not one of them was noticing her. She could do as she liked without being scrutinised by anyone. This was fantastic.

Keeping her hood up in order to better disguise her golden hair, Rose set off about the town, enjoying the feel of the rough cobbles under her feet. She was wearing her riding boots as opposed to a pair of the multitude of delicate slippers she possessed – she had taken all precautions possible to make sure that she would not be recognised as who she really was.

As she looked around her, taking in the atmosphere and trying not to look as though she was staring, a group of young boys and girls came tearing out of a side street, laughing and shrieking. They held short sticks as weapons and, in some cases, wooden swords. They all tore across the road and into another alley on the other side. A second or so after they had vanished from sight, a little girl, smaller than the other children and with long brown hair in two plaits, came darting out of the alley, before promptly slipping in a muddy puddle and falling down hard on her front.

Rose dashed immediately into the road, worrying for the safety of the child as well as her possible injuries. She reached down and pulled the little girl to her feet. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine," the little girl said crossly, flapping at Rose's hands and smearing at the mud on her dress, "but I've got to arrest them and take them to jail and they've got ahead of me now and I've got the shortest legs!" The tiny girl drew herself up to her full height and pushed Rose gently to one side. "Move out of the way, civilian, I have work to do." She then sprinted off at a surprising speed, nearly tripping over her own feet as they fought to keep up with the speed her body wanted to go at. Rose stared after her, laughing quietly at the determination on the girl's face. She clearly took her 'job' very seriously. It was because of this preoccupation, and a lack of time spent in busy public places, that Rose did not remember she was still standing in the middle of the road.

"Watch out!" Rose heard the voice but did not register it properly, hearing it only dimly as she turned to her left and caught a glimpse of the horse and cart that were coming towards her at an alarming speed (a speed that she thought, in the back of her mind, could not be safe for these busy city streets.)

She had no time to move, but she felt a hand grab hers. "Run," a voice said in her ear, and for once, she obeyed.


	2. Chapter 2

_She had no time to move, but she felt a hand grab hers. "Run," a voice said in her ear, and for once, she obeyed._

Rose let the person gripping onto her hand direct her, simply moving her feet as fast as she could in order to keep up with them. She felt the rush of air as the horse raced past, thankfully not trampling her under its hooves in the process.

Breathless, Rose looked around at the person who had most probably saved her life. He was tall, taller than her by quite a few inches, slim and long-limbed with a pair large brown eyes that sparkled in a way that was almost inappropriate considering how they had both been an inch from death a few seconds ago.

"You alright?" the man asked her.

Rose adjusted her skirts before speaking. "Yes, I think so. Thank you for that."

His disarming grin caught her by surprise. "Oh, no problem. Happens to me all the time."

"What, really?" Rose was aware that she was not speaking very correctly or politely, and that her breath was coming in gasps as she fought for air, but she could not be bothered to care at this moment.

The man nodded, hands deep in his trouser pockets. "Oh yeah, in my line of work I get into these sorts of situations a lot." He certainly did seem quite casual about the act of saving her life.

"You mean you save people from certain death, or do you often find yourself in a position of needing to be saved?" Rose asked, teasing him just a little bit. She did not get to tease people that often, and she delighted in the way he responded to her, a cheeky smile that made her heart swoop in her chest just a tiny bit.

The strange man seemed to consider his response for a second, a hand rubbing the back of his neck in thought, the smile fading from his lips though it never really left those sparkling eyes. "Both."

"Well, I'm certainly glad you were there to help me. If there's any way I can return the favour..." Rose stopped, hoping very earnestly that her words would not be taken as an invitation for this strange man to woo her, or to take advantage of her. She had enough of that at the royal balls and at court, and she did not want this unnamed yet amusing man to turn out the same as all the others.

She was not disappointed.

"I wouldn't ask anything, though I think you may need to come inside and warm up a bit – your hand was freezing cold and you're wet as well." He spoke very matter-of-factly, and Rose looked down at herself to see that she was indeed damp all over from the rain that had started just after the man had dragged her out of the road. It was at that moment that her body chose to let her know how cold it was as evening was turning into night, and she suppressed a shiver.

"That sounds like a very good idea."

A few minutes later they were sitting in two comfortable chairs next to a roaring fire in a tavern that the Doctor had proclaimed "best in the city". The barmaid, a spirited young woman named Amy, fetched Rose a warm blanket at once, shouting for her husband Rory to fetch some hot tea immediately. Despite having lived in a castle full of servants for her entire life, Rose had never felt so thoroughly looked after as she did now, noting that the hint of worry in the tall man's eyes did not recede until her shivering had ceased. They now sat companionably side by side, warm and relaxed in the well lit, cheerful room.

"Feeling any better?" the man asked, stretching his long legs out in front of him, the striped pattern of his trousers making them seem much longer than they were, Rose was sure.

"I don't know about better, but certainly warmer," Rose partly agreed, pulling the thick blanket closer around her shoulders. "I feel like an absolute fool, I should have seen that cart coming. What sort of a person cannot tell when something of that size is flying towards them at speed?"

The Doctor turned to her and leaned forward slightly, understanding in his eyes. "A human person," he said comfortingly, "people make mistakes, and it's not hard to not notice something if your attention is drawn somewhere else."

"Well I still feel like an idiot."

"There's no need for that. There is plenty of idiocy in this world without you adding yourself to the list of perpetrators." That comment got a laugh from Rose, who finally let her guilt and self-pity go, changing the subject in order to learn more about her mysterious saviour.

"So what is it that you do? Your trade, I suppose. You spoke of dangerous situations, I hope you were not lying in order to seem brave or important."

The man looked at her for a moment, and Rose was certain that he was making the decision on whether to trust her. Evidently he made up his mind, because he leaned forward and smiled at her before answering.

"I am a dragon slayer."

Rose paused for a moment, before bursting into laughter. Immediately the man's face showed signs of indignation and hurt.

"I'm sorry," Rose managed to squeak out between giggles, "it's just... it's like you're someone in a tale or something. Going around slaying dragons – no-one actually does that. And besides, what have the dragons ever done to you?"

A shadow passed over his face at her last question, and Rose cursed herself for being so abrupt and thoughtless. Her mother was always admonishing her for speaking her mind rather than making polite small talk, and now she feared she had said something that she might regret.

"Please forgive me," she said quietly, reaching over and placing her hand over the man's, though it was not quite proper for her to do so, "I know nothing of these matters; I should not have been so forward."

The dark look in the man's eyes receded, and he smiled at her once more. "It is fine. It does sound fairly ridiculous when I say it like that, but it's true. Most dragons are small or relatively peaceful and will not harm you if you stay away from them, much like any wild animal, but there are others. Great, monstrous beasts that take pleasure in not only devouring people, but destroying entire villages. Someone has to try and protect the people from them. That is me."

For a few seconds Rose was at a loss. She did not know what to say – there seemed to be a certain fire in his eyes as he spoke of his life, as though he were telling a story by the fireside, the sort of story that Rose had always loved to hear. She found herself leaning in towards him, captivated by his tale and wonder on his face and the undeniable attraction that she found towards his features. His wide, curious eyes, the strong nose and plump bottom lip, the sprinkling of freckles over his face, all topped with the thick, brown hair that stuck in all directions in an uncontrolled way that suited him. He was a handsome man by all accounts, maybe not classically attractive, but more intriguing and entrancing than any of the men she had met at balls and functions, who wished to court her and one day marry her.

"I'm Rose," she blurted out. She hoped he would not put together the clues - the shortened form of her given name, the colour of her hair, the quality of her clothes. For some reason she had felt compelled to tell him her name, as though by knowing who she was he would not be able to disappear from her life, as she was for some reason afraid that he would.

"Rose." He seemed to be trying out the name, rolling it around in his mouth. "Rose. It suits you."

"Well that's fortunate, considering that I am stuck with it, and it with me." He laughed at that, almost a giggle but not quite. The sound was so endearing that Rose found herself laughing too, a hand over her mouth in an attempt to smother her amusement.

"I am the Doctor," he said when they had both recovered, and Rose decided to simply accept what he said as the truth. It was a strange name for a man to have, and yet it seemed that while she was with him, things that might have previously seemed strange did not seem so any longer.

"So Rose, where is it that you come from? You seem to be quite high born, from what I can make out."

"And how have you worked that out?" Rose enquired, slightly perturbed by the fact that he could clearly tell that she did not fit in with the people around her. "What can you tell about me, from having just talked to me now?"

The Doctor leaned back in his chair slightly for a moment, appraising her and making a blush appear on her cheeks, though Rose was pretending that she could not feel its heat, nor the intense gaze of her new acquaintance.

"Well, the quality of your clothes, hair and skin speak for themselves - you are not poor. You most certainly are of a higher station, for any girl of your age with hair of that colour would have sold it by now. Gold hair is rarer than ever these days, and the amount on your head would fetch a handsome price, I'm sure." One of his hands reached out slightly, and Rose thought for a moment he was going to twirl a strand of her hair through his fingertips. He pulled his hand back, however, the gesture turning into him drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair as he continued to look at her. Rose frowned slightly, trying to clear her head without him realising. She could not be disappointed that he had not touched her, could she?

"And then there's your accent, your posture and the fact you keep looking around as though you're going to be noticed." He smiled triumphantly while Rose looked sheepish, caught in the middle of the very act which he had been describing. Since drying off in the tavern had necessitated taking off her cloak, Rose was very aware that she could be recognised at any second. "That all says to me that you really shouldn't be here, and unless you're a wanted criminal, I imagine you probably don't get out into the city much. That all points to the sheltered life of a high-born lady. Am I right?"

Rose grinned and dragged a hand through her hair, twisting it in her fingers to give her restless hands something to do. "Very right. You have no idea just how right you are." She took a look at him, taking in his light blue shirt, brown tunic, striped brown trousers and faded boots, all well worn but clean and sturdy. He carried a leather satchel, which was sitting unassumingly next to the chair in which the Doctor had placed himself. "I'm afraid I cannot tell nearly as much about you as you can about me. You just appeared out of nowhere, and I can't observe any habits or telltale signs that tell me where you come from. Do you care to fill me in?"

Laughing, the Doctor got to his feet and reach for the long brown cloak he had removed to let dry by the fire. "Maybe next time, my lady Rose." He was teasing her again, and Rose rolled her eyes as she moved to stand beside him, something her mother would have chastised her for, had she been there. "Right now I think you had probably better be getting home."

Looking outside the window, Rose saw that it was completely dark outside. "Oh no, no, they will absolutely kill me!" She dragged on her cloak in a frenzy, all the while still registering the fact that the Doctor had said "next time". Oh how she wanted there to be a next time.

The Doctor followed her out of the tavern and watched her get her bearings. Everything looked so different in the dark. "Would you like me to walk you home?" he asked her.

"No." Rose span towards him, certain that she did not want him to see where she lived. This man treated her like a person, not a princess. She wanted to keep that, if only just for a little while longer. "No, I will be fine, thank you. But will I see you here again?" Yet again Rose's mouth had run away with her, and she inwardly winced at what the Doctor must think of her. Luckily, he smiled a warm smile that let her know he did not find her forwardness odd or presumptuous.

"I am sure you will. I will not be here tomorrow as I have business I need to attend to."

"Dragon slaying business?" asked Rose wryly.

"What else?" the Doctor replied. "But I should be back the day after. I will be around here if you wish to come and find me." He paused, about to turn away, before leaning towards her and taking her hand in his. "I do hope that you will wish to come and find me," he said quietly, placing a gentle kiss on her hand before turning away and walking briskly into the darkness, purpose in his stride and a spring in his step.

Rose waited until he was out of sight before laughing excitedly, jumping up and down and spinning wildly around a couple of times before regaining her composure. She had never felt so hopeful or excited about her future since she was very small, and the exhilaration of meeting a person who seemed so utterly different and adventurous, and charismatic to boot, was coursing through her, leaving her unable to stop grinning as she made her way back to the palace. She hoped desperately that no-one had noticed she was gone. If they had, all hope of her being able to sneak away again in a couple of days had gone out of the window.

She got through the hole in the wall, through the side door and up two staircases before she was spotted.

"Rose, where in the world have you been?" Her mother, the Queen, was standing in the hallway Rose had just run through, attempting to remain hidden long enough to get up the next flight of stairs and into her bedroom. "I've been looking for you for hours, young lady!"

Rose turned to face her mother, hoping that her face resembled something much calmer than the excited jumbled turmoil inside her.

"So sorry Mother, I was out walking in the orchard and it became dark, and I was quite lost for a long while until I climbed a tree and saw the castle in the distance." It was a plausible explanation at least, as the orchard was vast and quite a way from the castle, and in the dark it was very easy to get lost, as Rose was prone to doing, what with her habit of wandering off.

Her mother gave her a hard look, and for a moment Rose was certain she would spot the lie. To her enormous relief, the Queen simply sighed and gave Rose a short lecture on the dangers of being lost in the dark at night, before hugging her and sending her off to bed. Rose bade her mother goodnight, and walked slowly up the stairs, waiting until the Queen was out of sight before sprinting to her bedroom and jumping triumphantly on the bed.

That night Rose hardly slept a wink. She rolled over and gazed at the ceiling, unable to force her body to shut down for the night. All of a sudden the hope and happiness she felt from her trip out overwhelmed her, and she grinned into the darkness before rolling over and shoving her head under her pillow, kicking her feet and giggling. There was no containing the absolute joy she felt at the thought of leaving the castle and meeting the Doctor again. She was certain she had never felt happier in her life.

When she closed her eyes to finally sleep, it was with the thought of a strong hand in hers, pulling her along through the city towards something wonderful, and with the faint echo of a joyous giggle, that was completely ridiculous yet somehow still manly, if there was such a thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose and the Doctor's second meeting went just as well as the first, with the added bonus of no near death experience getting in the way. Managing to get away from the castle a little bit earlier than she had previously, Rose got to spend some time wandering the streets of the city with the Doctor, who told her some information on the city that she lived in, and yet knew next to nothing about. He told her where were the safe places, and which parts were best avoided, the main roads, the oldest buildings, and which shops sold the best cakes. Rose managed to get out of any awkward questions that might have been asked by pretending that she and her family had just moved here from their house in the country, which easily took care of the reason why she knew nothing about the place where she lived.

"How did your dragon slaying business go yesterday?" Rose asked as they walked through another busy street. Darkness was finally beginning to fall, and she was aware that she was going to have to head back soon, but she was making the most of every moment she had out here in the real world, with the Doctor, who seemed to her to be the most real person she had ever met. He had a habit of grabbing her hand tightly whenever he caught sight of something else that he wanted her to see, and after the first few times they had simply ceased letting go of each other. For one, it was a lot easier to keep together in the most crowded streets of the city when they were linked this way, but for the most part it just felt completely right for Rose's hand to be held firmly in the Doctor's grip, and for her to hold his just as tightly.

"Not well, I'm afraid," the Doctor replied ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck in a common gesture that Rose had already made a note of. "Dragon was a big one, but it was gone by the time I got there. Spent time helping the locals do what they could, putting out fires and so forth. It'll strike again before long though, I'll be ready for it by then."

"I wish I could go with you." Rose spoke wistfully, looking at one of the stalls in front of her and focussing on the pans that the woman there was selling so she didn't keep glancing at the Doctor.

"Maybe one day you could," he said, and Rose smiled and nodded, though inside she felt absolutely wretched. She could never get enough time away from the palace to be able to go on one of the Doctor's journey's, which from what he said, always lasted at least overnight, if not for 2 or 3 days. That was not even mentioning the fact that the Doctor did not know who she really was, and that if he got caught sneaking out of the city with the princess then the consequences could be extremely severe for him. She sighed, deciding just to try and be happy with what she had. She had a true friend outside the palace now, why couldn't she just be content with that?

Of course, however hard she tried, she couldn't be.

Over the next 2 months, Rose saw the Doctor whenever she possibly could. Her 20th birthday came and went, but she barely noticed, getting through the birthday celebrations in a sort of daze. Her parents thought that something was wrong with her, but they were far too busy to attempt to pry her reason for being quieter than usual out of her, and probably not even noticing the fact that she was smiling at odd moments when it was clear that she was thinking about something else.

She was thinking about the Doctor, naturally. Their conversations were always lively and interesting, peppered with anecdotes about his life but never becoming self absorbed. He asked her questions and really seemed to listen to the answers she gave. It was nice, she thought, to be able to speak her mind and not worry about what she should or shouldn't be saying.

One day when Summer was just beginning to creep into Autumn and Rose had been 20 for a month and a half, they were wandering around on the outskirts of the city, reminiscing about their childhoods, though of course Rose had to be careful to keep most of hers a secret. The Doctor asked her about what she would have done if she weren't a lady – he knew by now that she was going to have to be married at some point, that she did not want to be, and that she really did not have much choice in the matter, though of course he had no idea really how true her words were - and Rose quite shyly told him about how she had always wanted to be a knight, like one of the women in the King's Guard. Despite the fact that the rules that constricted Rose's life and choices were still in place, women were free to do as they chose in the kingdom, and were allowed to be knights and to fight in battles, though there were still not quite so many of them as there were men in the armies. Rose used to look out of her windows when she was younger and watch as they all stood in the courtyard for various ceremonies or when they were being given orders before they marched out of the castle gates. Sometimes she would hide in the stables, sitting on the beams above the stalls and watching as the knights readied their horses for battle.

"Of course, looking at it now I would probably have made an awful knight," she said to the Doctor, laughing before jumping up and plucking an apple off an overhanging branch. They were walking along the pathway back to the hole in the castle walls, the sun setting and shining orange light through the trees. "I would have loved the adventuring, but I'm terrible at doing what I'm told without questioning it, and wearing trousers all the time and never getting to wear skirts or go to dances without being on guard" – she made a face – "no, I would have been quite bad at it, I think. I would have made a much better spy, or an assassin, or maybe a story teller who scribes the stories in books, like the ones in the library."

"It seems you have a lot of prospective careers," the Doctor teased, before taking a bite out of his own apple.

"Well, when you haven't really got a chance at one, you tend to have a lot of fantasies about what you could have done. Of course, I would quite like your job too."

"Oi, don't go getting any ideas," the Doctor warned her with mock sternness, "you are not weaselling me out of my job any time soon. Besides, I think you would have made a brilliant knight. You're loyal and brave, just what a knight should be. As for the following orders part, don't I know it. The amount of times I've turned around and you've just wandered off!"

Rose grinned. "Can I help it if there's so much to see in this city?"

They were making their way towards the castle, as the guest list for the royal ball that would commemorate the 120th anniversary of the peace treaty between the kingdoms would be in a month or so. It was held in one of the castle's of the three kingdoms each year, and this year the honour had fallen on the castle of Tyleria to be the hosts. It was tradition, as well as invitations being delivered personally by royal messengers, for the list of honoured guests to be posted outside the castle gates, so any citizens who wished to could see which members of high-born society would be attending. It was quite an important occasion for the people of the city, though Rose had never really been that aware of it, since she had always been invited by default anyway. Approaching the castle from this direction, Rose felt a sense of dread. Coming this close to the place where she really lived felt like returning to the scene of the crime. Desperately hoping no-one would recognise her, she and the Doctor joined the throng of people crowding around the board that the parchment was pinned to, pushing their way towards the front slyly so as not to start an argument.

"I wonder why the princess is not married yet," Rose heard one woman say as they stood near the front of the crowd, having a good look at the guest list, which was not really that interesting to Rose, as it was the same boring people she had been forced to attend the ball with since she was about 13. "If she has not chosen a suitor by the time she is 21 then it will have to be arranged."

"I'm surprised they haven't married her off to some rich prince from another realm," said the old man she had been talking to. "It'd be brilliant for political relations, and it'd get rid of her and leave her brother to ascend the throne when he's ready."

"Shall we get out of here?" Rose muttered to the Doctor, not really wishing to have her private life discussed right in front of her nose. The Doctor nodded, but he seemed somewhat distracted, staring at the list of names as though not really seeing it.

"She's a beauty, that Princess Rose," continued the woman, and Rose winced, praying that the Doctor was not listening.

"I'll give you that, she's definitely a pretty one," the old man agreed, "all that gold hair, and it's not that common to keep it that long nowadays, she's certainly very striking."

"Come on, this crowd's squashing me," Rose insisted, grabbing the Doctor's arm and dragging him through the people pressing in all around them, walking towards the footpath through the woods that would lead back to the city. Most people did not take this route, choosing the shorter and less bumpy road, but Rose needed to get away from all those people. She tried to walk calmly along, but her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, and she kept stumbling, glancing anxiously towards the Doctor every few seconds to see if he was going to figure out the connection.

He was staring ahead of him, lost in thought. "Interesting, the people they invite to those things." He spoke quite slowly, as though the words were just floating out of his mouth as soon as he thought them up. "There'll be another one soon, I expect, once the princess is ready to be married. It's got to be quite soon, she must be..." He tailed off and stopped walking. Rose closed her eyes, scrunching them tight shut in dread as she heard his next question. "Rose, how old are you?"

"20," she said as casually as she could, "I'll be 21 next Spring."

The Doctor nodded. "Thought so." A few seconds passed, then all of a sudden his eyes grew very round. He looked at her, then away, then at her again. "The hair. The bright gold hair and the age and the name..." A broad grin spread across his face, and he started to laugh. "Oh that's brilliant! Ha! You're the princess!"

Rose nodded resignedly. "Yes, that's me. Her Royal Highness, Princess Rose, at your service." She did a little curtsey, a small smile tugging at her lips even in the midst of her gloom, as she watched the Doctor continue to laugh.

"How did I not notice? My brain must be so full of ridiculous, pointless things if I didn't see that – it was right in front of me! You're high born and know nothing about life in the city and you speak so properly!" He calmed down a little, though the grin was still there. "But why did you hide it from me? All this time, and you never said."

"Well there's not exactly an easy way to say it," Rose said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest, "it's not like I want everyone to know, and after I had gotten to know you well enough to trust you, it was hard to just blurt out 'oh, just in case you wondered, I'm the princess of the entire kingdom'."

The Doctor pressed his lips together. "I suppose not. Besides, it's not like you didn't tell me your name, I could have figured it out sooner if I wasn't so busy trying to be impressive." He flashed her a winning smile, but Rose could even muster up the energy to return it.

"Well, I suppose I'd better turn around and go back then," she said glumly, turning back the way they had come and beginning to make her way over tree roots and around holes in the muddy ground.

"Woah woah woah," the Doctor said, running around until he was in front of her and holding up his hands. "Where are you going? There's loads of daylight left, we've got plenty of time to do things before you have to go."

Finding herself unable to walk any further Rose looked up at him. His face looked so innocently confused at her actions and she felt a deep sadness wrap around her heart. She was going to miss him, truly, he was the best friend she had ever had.

"Well you won't be wanting to spend time with me any more, not now you know who I really am." The Doctor's eyebrows rose in shock and Rose continued quickly to avoid him interrupting her. "You know how dangerous it is for me to be out here, and if I'm discovered then that might be bad for you as well. Plus what are we going to talk about now you know I'm royalty? I'll never hear the end of it. I'll have to go back to that place and learn table manners and lists of dates and get married, and after that there'll be no escape from there. So there's pretty much no point in it, not now you know."

The Doctor now looked sympathetic, and he placed his hands on her upper arms and looked into her eyes, holding her gaze when she tried to look away. "Rose, you couldn't really think I would treat you any differently now that I know this? I mean, it's obviously a lot worse for me if you accidentally get killed out here or fall down a well or something, but I wasn't going to let that happen anyway, as you well know." He smiled at her, and the look on his face was so genuinely caring that she had to smile back. "And if you're going to end up having to get married and stop having fun, then it only follows that you should have as much of it now as possible. Besides, there are sometimes ways around these things. Maybe you'll end up marrying someone you love, who'll want you to be able to do this sort of thing all the time." Rose raised an eyebrow and the Doctor laughed. "OK, that was far-fetched, but the point is that now it's even more important that you come here as much as possible. The princess has to have at least a bit of fun."

Completely overjoyed at his reaction, and unable to speak as a lump appeared in her throat, Rose threw her arms around the Doctor's neck and hugged him with all her might. A few tears squeezed out of her eyes, but they were tears of happiness. She could never have hoped for as good a person as the Doctor, and as they pulled away from each other she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Anyway, you'd better be getting back to your castle, Your Highness."

Rose smacked him on the arm. "Shut up, you."

"What should I call you then? Your ladyship, your grace, o beautiful lady Rose, my princess?"

She was looking round for projectiles to throw at him when he began to run away from her, still shouting increasingly absurd nicknames back to her.

"Idiot," Rose muttered under her breath, grabbing a couple of pine cones and chucking them at the back of his head as she raced to catch up.


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting in on these council meetings was never fun, but today Rose felt as though she were being slowly smothered to death. These men and women spoke as though they were hoping that the world would end before they managed to get to the end of each sentence. Rose attempted not to slump down in her chair, reflecting that she was lucky that they left her alone for the most part. The only moment during the whole proceedings that caught her attention was the mention of some fires and destruction of houses in some of the villages and small towns in the kingdom. They were all relatively near the enormous forest that stretched across the east of their kingdom and over the border into the next, and as the minister who was speaking reeled off the list of names, Rose remembered something the Doctor had told her. Crick Hollow. He had slain a dragon there not long ago, nearly losing an arm in the process. He had played off the incident as something harmless, but Rose knew it had been bad enough that he had had to go to his friend, Martha Jones, for assistance. Martha Jones was a woman who Rose longed to meet, a healer with an unusually strong natural gift for magic. The Doctor informed Rose, with no small amount of pride in his voice, that Martha could have been among the most powerful sorcerers in the land, but she had instead only ever wanted to devote her life to helping others. Rose understood why this character trait appealed to the Doctor, but nevertheless, his arm must have been extremely badly burnt if he had had to go to Martha immediately for help. He had his own stores of medicines, Rose knew, and only went straight to Martha in emergencies.

All of a sudden Rose was certain she knew exactly what the cause of the devastation in those villages was.

When the meeting ended, and the ministers and other members of the council were filing out of the room, Rose walked up to her father and coughed gently to get his attention. If they were alone she would have simply taken his arm, but in this situation it would not be considered proper for her to grab the King. Her father smiled at her and waited until the rest of the people were gone. "Now, my daughter, what can I do for you? I see you managed not to fall asleep today – quite an achievement, considering your past record."

Rose laughed. " Actually Father, I wanted to ask you something about the meeting. You said that something was ravaging the villages... are you quite sure it wasn't a dragon?"

Her father turned sharply towards her. "Why would you think that, Rose? No-one has seen a dragon for years; they are all but extinct, especially in these parts. For the dragons to return would mean devastation, not to mention the fact that certain people would be glad try and find a way to use them for their own ends."

"But exactly Father, if there are dragons out there then they need to be stopped, and I-"

"Rose, listen to me," the King said sternly, though Rose was much too concerned now to pay attention to his tone, "the return of the dragons is not something that I am willing to spare the resources to deal with right now, even if it were true, which it is not. I have more important things to be doing, as you well know."

"No Father, you don't—"

" What I understand, Rose, is that you care more about this fantasy of dragons than you do about the kingdom being kept safe and being run properly, and you would rather waste your time distracting me with this sort of rubbish than getting on with something more useful."

"But Father, I know-"

"You know nothing, Rose!" the King shouted, causing his daughter to stumble backwards in alarm. "You have no idea of the stresses of running a country, nor will you ever have to know! You have barely been outside the castle walls in your life and yet you think you know more about what I should devote my time to than I do myself? Go and find some pursuit that will help you to become a proper young lady, as you seem to be forgetting what little you knew in the first place. Your only concern now is choosing a man to marry, not frittering away your time worrying about imaginary problems in a kingdom you have not the first idea about!"

For a second or so Rose stared at him, not willing to look away even though her eyes were starting to fill with tears. Just as her face began to crumple in the beginnings of a sob, she turned away and ran out into the passageway, slamming the heavy door behind her. She ran all the way to her room, knocking into a few people as she passed and not caring, scraping herself on walls and ripping the bottom of her dress as she tripped up a step, unable to see properly because the tears were coming thick and fast now.

Luckily this was one of the days when she would be able to leave the castle and see the Doctor, and so even in her less than calm state she managed to make her way to her room, collect her cloak and make her way as quietly as possible to the hole in the castle wall, making sure that she said a few quick words to Donna as she passed her. The red-headed girl grinned at her and promised that she would cover for Rose in the event that anyone came looking for her.

Now that the Doctor knew who she was, he waited for her halfway down the little pathway that led from the castle gates into the city, at almost the exact spot where he had first figured out that she was in fact that princess. Rose walked down the shady path, enjoying the play of light as it filtered down through the branches above her head. It was quiet and calm underneath the trees, and as she stepped quietly over the tangled tree roots she took some deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Her father's words had hurt her greatly. He seemed to think that she was somehow ignorant of everything outside of the castle, but worse than that, he had spoken as though he were ashamed of her. She had never even thought for a moment before that her father cared whether or not she remembered every single thing there was to know about being a high-born lady. She remembered her manners and courtesies when in company, did it matter if she did not work on embroidery in her spare time, or that she occasionally tore some of her clothes or showed up slightly late to dinner? It hurt her that her father would care so much about those things, rather than caring about what really mattered to her.

So lost in thought was Rose at that moment that she nearly walked straight past the Doctor, who was sitting on a stump, one leg crossed over the other as he examined the sole of his right boot. He saw her coming and dropped his foot, jumping up and grinning at her.

"Afternoon, Your Highness," he said good naturedly.

Rose tried to smile at him, but all of the calm she had managed to restore in herself on her walk from the castle suddenly vanished, and her face began to crumple. The happiness that he displayed when he saw her only served to make her feel worse, and a couple of tears slid down her face before she could say anything to him.

The Doctor himself, upon seeing her reaction to him, looked shocked and concerned. Her gathered her in his arms and let her cry against his chest. "Hey, what's all this about then? Shh, it's OK. What's the matter?" Rose was too busy trying to contain her sobs, hands clutching at his tunic, to answer him in a way that would have been intelligible, and so he just held her, rocking her gently from side to side and murmuring soothing words until she was no longer crying.

"Sorry," Rose said, her voice muffled by the Doctor's tunic, but he simply stepped back and put his hands on her upper arms, holding her firmly as he looked into her eyes.

"You do not need to apologise to me," he told her, sounding so definite about it that Rose had give him a smile, albeit a watery and slightly trembling one. "Now what is it? Can I help at all?"

Shaking her head, Rose let out a long sigh, closing her eyes and trying to regain some composure. "I had a bit of an argument with my father. I was telling about the dragons, and just suggesting really that he look into it. I was trying to be subtle, he's the King after all, I didn't want to try and order him around, but he just wouldn't listen." Looking back on it, Rose frowned slightly. "It was a bit strange, it was like he was just completely ignoring the idea, and he wouldn't even let me say two words about it. Anyway I wouldn't let it go, and he said some really awful things."

The Doctor's hands were a soothing presence; rubbing her arms slowly and making her feel safe. "What kind of things?"

Rose sniffed, looking down at her feet. She suddenly felt very small and stupid, as though she had overreacted, though she knew she had not. "That I was awful at being a lady, that I had no idea about anything in the real world. I never realised that he thought I was a disappointment until now. He said that all I needed to do was to find someone to marry and that I shouldn't bother with anything else. He never said that before, he always said I could do whatever I wanted, but now that I'm not a child any more it's as if he is not even trying to pretend that I have any other future."

The Doctor's face had hardened. His eyes were glittering, and they seemed to be a slightly darker brown than they were before she had spoken. "You know that's not true, Rose."

For the first time in her life, Rose doubted herself on that point. "Isn't it?" she said glumly. "Really though, there isn't any other choice for me. I may as well get used to people saying those sorts of things, that's what my life's going to be."

"No it is not," the Doctor replied fiercely. His eyes were blazing, as he looked down at her, jaw set, and Rose could finally truly see how this ridiculous, charming man could face down an enormous dragon single-handed. He was almost frightening, though that wasn't his intention. "You are brilliant, Rose, worth far more than what they make you out to be. Never stop believing that, even for a moment, please."

Rose studied his face. Why did her believing in herself mean so much to him?

"Promise me that you will never let them take that away from you."

"I promise." Rose had agreed with him before she had been able to consciously consider what he had said. Her tears had dried, and with the Doctor's face warm and cheerful again, Rose felt the tingle of happiness that came from being out in the city once again. She grasped the Doctor's hand tightly and began to drag him along the path towards the heart of the city.

"Come on, we've only got a couple of hours before I've got to be back. It's the ball tomorrow and people tend to get a little bit more irritable when they're stressed, and a lot better at being able to tell when I'm lying to their faces."

The Doctor smiled at her before pulling her into a hug. "Good luck with that," he murmured in her ear, earnest and sincere as always, and Rose closed her eyes, wishing desperately that he could be there with her.

Rose turned away from the people she had been making conversation with after begging their pardon. She had told them that she had to make an effort to speak to as many people as possible, when in reality she just wanted a moment to catch her breath and to get away from being spoken at constantly by people she did not know. As she turned away and looked for a servant in order to get another glass of wine, an elegant goblet appeared at her shoulder, held by a male hand with long fingers. Quite a manly, hairy hand, Rose thought.

She span quickly around before she had even touched the goblet, and was faced with a very familiar face grinning back at her, mischief and glee spelled out in every line of his features.

"What," Rose breathed out, a grin spreading across her face and a warm feeling settling in her chest as she looked into the Doctor's eyes, "what in the world are you doing in here?" She quickly glanced around in case he had been noticed, though of course he was dressed in the dress uniform of the servants, entirely appropriate for the occasion and blending in thoroughly. His hair was neatly parted and combed down, so much so that it almost looked unnatural on him. Rose had never seen him look so smart before. In one hand he carried a tray full of goblets, and his other hand was still extended to her, offering her the drink that she had been looking for.

"I wanted to see you in your natural habitat," the Doctor said quietly, pressing the cup into Rose's hand. She was still so stunned at seeing him that she very nearly dropped it. The Doctor grabbed her hand quickly, making sure she had a firm grasp before pulling away. Rose almost checked to see if there were scorch marks where his finger had touched hers, she felt the brush of his fingers against hers so strongly. "Don't drop that. Wouldn't do to get your pretty frock all messed up."

He gestured at her and Rose looked down at her dress, even though she knew perfectly well what she was wearing. When she looked back up again she saw the Doctor's eyes moving slowly down and then up again, taking in the entirety of her appearance. Her green dress flowed down her body, but it was cut to accentuate her curves, and the delicate gauze that made up the flowing sleeves was also present on the bodice, which was showing slightly more cleavage than Rose was normally accustomed to.

"Well," she asked after a few moments, feeling slightly awkward at him suddenly paying her so much of this sort of attention, even if she did somehow enjoy it, "have I exceeded your expectations?"

"No." Rose felt hurt pierce her just for a moment, before realising that the Doctor was smiling softly, a warm look in his eyes that she had never seen before. "The dress is beautiful, but it only supplements what is already there. My expectations were well met, Your Highness, because you look just as radiant now as you do every day when I see you. That probably has something to do with your happiness at the current company you are keeping, however." He winked cheekily, and Rose sighed, accepting the compliment that was shrugged off with a teasing jest, as it always was with the Doctor. He tilted his head to the side and examined her for a second before continuing. "I imagined that they would want your hair loose at this sort of occasion. You would think they would want to accentuate the fact that it is such a rare colour."

Rose shrugged a little, though she had always been told that it was not polite to do so, reaching to pull at the top of her hair which was intricately and tightly plaited. "It is seen as more elegant and stylish to have it like this. That's why I normally keep it loose when I'm down in the city – it just feels like another way for them to try and trap me when they yank it back like this." She must have looked mournful, because the Doctor's eyebrows contracted in sympathy.

"How are things between you and your father?" he asked her, and Rose sighed, glad to be able to talk about the subject that seemed to be creating a heavy lump in her stomach.

"Still not right. He pretends that everything is normal, but I've been avoiding him ever since he said what he said. All I was doing was trying to help, and he just about told me that the only thing I was good for was to be married off to some man, and that I know nothing about anything. And besides, he said I wasn't very good at being a lady, and I think I'm doing it rather well, don't you?" She curtseyed neatly, maintaining an innocent expression before laughing and pulling good-naturedly at her hair, which was starting to annoy her greatly

"Well you look very lovely Your Highness," the Doctor said with a bow, "though I might suggest in future that you simply remove your hair in its entirety and stick to having a bald head, for it will save you much time and effort in your hair dressing practises." He spoke with an exaggeratedly arrogant and posh tone of voice, and Rose could not help but giggle, all thoughts of how uncomfortable she was gone. Her laughter, however, appeared to have caught the attention of a couple of her parents' advisors, and Rose hastily rearranged her features before turning away from the Doctor slightly, feeling a shiver of fear for the first time since the Doctor had revealed himself to her.

"You really should not be here," she murmured, knowing that he heard her words even though she was facing away from him now, "if they catch you or find out that you aren't actually a servant here, they could do anything to you. They could throw you in the dungeons, and if they think you are trying to threaten or kill anyone in my family or in the castle then you could be executed as a traitor." Her eyes roamed across the hall, taking in the people and trying desperately to ascertain whether or not they had realised she was talked much too animatedly with one of the serving men.

The Doctor, however, did not seem too concerned by Rose's worries, nor by the thought of attracting any attention. "I'll be alright," he said casually, offering a goblet of wine to a passing lord with all due deference before glancing back at Rose and grinning. "I'm always alright."

"Oh, I'm sure I know that," said Rose sarcastically, folding her arms and raising her eyebrow at him. "How's the burnt arm from that beast up in Crick Hollow last week? The whole arm, wasn't it? Nearly set entirely on fire, weren't you?"

"I was perfectly fine," the Doctor said indignantly, "Martha gave me some of the extra strength burn ointment and a tonic for the pain; it's almost completely healed now. Wait." He paused, looking at her with curiosity. "How did you remember where I went on that trip and what happened? I only mentioned it in passing."

His obvious interest caught Rose off guard, and she shuffled her feet beneath her floor length skirt, unable to quite meet his eyes. "Well, it's quite interesting, these things that you tell me about where you go and all your adventures. I just seem to remember all the details, like they're stories from books. And anyway, since the royal court seems determined to ignore the dragon problem, I've been keeping track of the whereabouts of each attack, just to make sure. They seem to be moving further from the forest each time. It can't be long before they attack one of the main cities."

The Doctor nodded, but did not let her distract him. "Yes, I expect it'll get worse before it gets better. So you remember everything I tell you about my life?" He paused, but Rose did not answer him. The silence swelled between them like music until he finally continued. "I want to take you with me, you know. I wish I could bring you next time."

He sounded so genuine and concerned and apologetic, and Rose felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and she realised how impossible joining him on one of his adventures could be. "I can't, Doctor, you know I can't get away, they'd miss me."

"But if you could," the Doctor pressed, "if we could find a way of getting you out of here for long enough... would you want to come?"

Rose blinked at him for a few seconds. "Are you joking? Of course I would, in a heartbeat, it's all I've ever wanted. But it can't happen."

There was a twinkle in the Doctor's eyes, and Rose knew immediately that she should never have used the word 'can't'. When that word was used, the Doctor immediately began to work out a way to go against it. It seemed to be in his nature.

"Surely you must have a servant that you trust completely. Some who could cover for you?"

"I..." Rose thought carefully. "I suppose there's Donna. She knows me very well; we spend a lot of time together. It was her who showed me the way to get through the castle walls without being seen, and she's been helping me sneak out and see you for the past few months."

"Wait a second. Donna Noble?"

"I believe that's her name," Rose replied, "why, do you know her?"

"Well, yes." The Doctor was grinning wider than ever now, and Rose had lost the ability to care about whether or not they were seen to be talking. That look on his face could only mean one thing – he had figured out a way to get her out. "I mean, we grew up together. We're actually cousins – second cousins I think – though I haven't spoken to her in a long while. If Donna's involved, then that's settled. Princess Rose, we are going on an adventure."

Rose tried to keep her composure, settling for a bright and beaming smile that the Doctor returned tenfold, but inside her heart was singing.


	5. Chapter 5

"Now you had better make sure you get back in one piece, young lady. I promised you one night and one day, any longer and I won't be able to explain it to Their Majesties, and if you arrive back missing a limb they will have my head!"

Donna Noble was sitting next to Rose on her bed, after having settled the arrangements for Rose sneaking out of the castle in less than an hour's time. They had long ago dispensed with the formality of Rose being called "Your Highness", though Donna preferred to use terms of endearment such as "young lady" or "little Princess" rather than Rose's given name. Since "my lady" was about as informal as the rest of the servants could be persuaded to go, Rose was grateful for the gentle teasing of one of her only friends.

"Do not worry; the Doctor will take good care of me."

"Oh he won't let you die, that's for sure," Donna agreed. "Just make sure he doesn't run off without you – he's a bit of an eager one, he throws himself in headlong. Just make sure you're there with him, he'll keep you sorted."

"Thank you Donna, and thank you so much for helping me to get out."

Donna smiled. More than anyone else she knew how frustrated Rose felt with her life and the direction it was headed in. When Rose had approached her about help with the scheme, Donna had left that very evening to meet with the Doctor, and they had arranged the plan together. It was Donna who had been covering Rose's tracks when she snuck out to see the Doctor, and it was only a tiny amount of extra work for her to contrive some excuse for Rose to not be seen by anyone but her for a night and a day. Rose was still reeling from the shock of the fact that Donna was the Doctor's cousin, and that they had grown up together. It made the world seem like a very small place.

"Oh, my little Princess, you make my job exciting, if it weren't for you and your exploits and your grand schemes and imaginings, I would have died of boredom a long time ago."

Laughing, Rose impulsively hugged Donna to her. Donna, to her credit, returned the hug with equal strength. She cared too much for Rose to let the gulf between the royalty and their servants get between them.

Rose was just pulling away from Donna when the door opened. Donna sprang up from the bed as the Queen entered.

"Oh, hello Donna. Rose, are you quite certain you won't be free for luncheon today?"

"Excuse me, your grace," Donna said with a small curtsey, walking out of the room with the tiniest of smirks aimed at Rose just before she shut the door. Rose made a herculean effort to hide her answering smile.

"I'm sorry Mother; I have been planning this ride for days. I plan to go all the way to the edge of the grounds, through the orchard and around the lake. I shall be gone all day, and I doubt you will see me at dinner either. Riding all day does tire me out."

"It is a shame you won't be here, especially when we have guests." Rose, who had turned away from her mother to put something in a drawer, grimaced. The guests in question were dull as mud, visiting noblemen who were just about the dreariest people she had ever met. "Still, it is nice to see you doing something you enjoy again."

"Why do you say that?"

The Queen sat down on Rose's bed, and motioned for her daughter to join her. "You've just been so distant, sweetheart. For the last few months especially, every time I've seen you it's been like... you're somewhere else. Or at least, you want to be somewhere else. I know you've had a disagreement with your father," – Rose frowned and pressed her lips together, willing herself not to start another argument – "and I also know you're not relishing the prospect of having to marry by your next birthday, but it is lovely to see you cheerful again. Seeing you happy is all I want in the world." She wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her for a few moments.

Rose hugged her mother tightly, guilt scratching at her insides as though begging her to let it out and confess. She held her nerve, simply burying her face in her mother's shoulder and wishing that there was a way she could get what she wanted without having to lie so severely to her parents and just about everyone else that she knew.

The Queen pulled back and sighed, stroking Rose's hair for a moment, just as she used to do when Rose had been a little girl, before turning and leaving. Rose allowed herself a moment or two to stare at the heavy, wooden door as it swung closed, before dropping to the floor and dragging a leather satchel out from underneath her bed. In it were the clothes that she would be changing into once she was outside the castle walls, as well as some money and the dagger that had been a present from her mother on her thirteenth birthday. She may not be allowed to become a knight, as her mother had told her that day, but royal women must always be able to defend themselves. The dagger was beautiful, small enough that she could wield it slyly, but definitely lethal when used properly. Rose had been schooled in using it, but had not taken it with her on her trips outside into the city. In hindsight that would probably have been a very good idea, but it was too late now to wish she had done it differently.

Once through the hole in the wall, Rose concealed herself and removed the dress she was wearing, pulling on the brown dress, apron and cloak that Donna had purloined for her from the stacks of clothing in the laundry rooms of the castle. She scraped back her hair and braided it, removed all of her jewellery, and attached her dagger to her leg with its leather strap.

After making sure the strap was secure, Rose stood up and smoothed down her skirt, hoping that she looked as inconspicuous as possible. Stowing the satchel full of clothes under a bush, she set off down the little lane, a spring in her step. The Doctor had said that he would meet her in the city, as he was gathering the last few supplies that he needed before their trip to the village they were headed to. Apparently a dragon had been spotted near the village a few days ago, just outside the

boundaries of the forest, and the Doctor thought that the creature would attack any day now. Rose was not exactly certain how he knew that this would happen, but he had a lot of experience and she trusted him.

The path eventually gave way to roads, and Rose made her way through the smaller back streets of the city until she came to the square. Despite the place being full of people, Rose saw the Doctor almost immediately.

He had his back to her, but his hair gave him away, and Rose dodged through the crowd until she reached him, tapping him on the shoulder as calmly as she could, with a beaming smile on her face. The Doctor span around with a face of innocent confusion, but as soon as he realised she was there he produced a smile that matched Rose's own in brightness and joy.

"I can't believe that I'm here," Rose stammered, still smiling, "I'm actually out, for a whole day and a night, can you believe it?"

"I should hope so, since I'm the one who's got the responsibility of taking you there and back again." He looked her up and down, not too quickly but not slowly enough to cause her to be embarrassed. "You look the part, I must say. Not much hope of hiding that hair of yours though, is there."

Rose sighed, reaching back and pulling at the plait that now hung down her back. "I'll just have to hope that no-one notices. It took you long enough to realise. And besides that, you can't talk – you look exactly the same every time I see you."

"Ah yes, but I'm me." The Doctor ran a hand through his dark brown hair, and Rose elbowed him for being so vain. He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes. This was just them, a part of their everyday dialogue that seemed so natural to Rose that she could not imagine talking to him without it.

They set off out of the city, in the opposite direction to the way Rose had come in. When she turned around she could see the entire city spread before her and, in the distance, the castle. It looked so large and so far away. She carried on looking for a few moments, walking backwards with a look of elation on her face, before turning back around and falling in step with the Doctor.

"How are we getting there?"

"Walking."

Rose stopped, forcing the Doctor to turn around when he realised she was no longer beside him. "Walking?"

He tilted his head to one side as he looked at her. "Yes. Walking, as in, on two legs, one foot in front of the other. We'll have a bit of a break when we get to Martha's house."

"Slightly better," Rose said, "though I might have to insist you carry me."

The Doctor laughed at that. "I don't think so, Princess – there's about as much chance of _you _carrying _me."_

Giggling, Rose continued walking, dropping into step beside him as they followed the road out of the city. "Very well then, I'll walk by myself. And enough of the "Princess" stuff; I'm supposed to be in disguise."

"Very well then, Rose." He said her name slowly and carefully, and Rose liked the way it sounded coming from his lips. Thoughts of his lips were quickly shoved to the back of her mind when she remembered what was to be the purpose of this journey.

"So... dragons." The Doctor seemed to sense there was something else she wanted to say, so he didn't answer her as he kept walking, setting a steady but swift pace. After about half a minute, Rose continued. "How exactly do you... get rid of them? Surely I should know, if I'm to help you with it."

"I have a... a way of doing it. It's sort of in my blood, this kind of fighting. It's not exactly... maybe it's me, I'm not exactly like other people. But anyway, I'll teach you to use a sword later, and I have a shield for you that's been enchanted. But there's time enough for this later – how's Donna?"

They chatted about other things and made each other laugh until they reached the next town, hand in hand. They walked through the streets until they arrived at a tall house, crossed with thick beams and at least three, if not four, storeys high. A carved wooden sign next to the door indicated that it was home to "Miss Martha Jones, physician and alchemist."

"Alchemist?" Rose asked uncertainly, as the Doctor stepped up and knocked on the wooden door.

He turned around and grinned cheekily at her. "Witch."

When they entered Martha Jones' workroom she was almost completely obscured by a tower of smoke. Rose coughed a few times, waving her hand in front of her face in a vain effort to try and clear the air. The Doctor did not seem to share her worry for the state of his lungs, striding into the room with an air of purpose.

"Well Miss Jones, I think you might have made a mistake somewhere along the line with this one. If I drink it will it turn me into a frog?"

"Doctor?" A voice pierced through the veil of smoke like a knife, and the next second a figure had lurch through, throwing herself at the Doctor with much enthusiasm. He swept her up into a hug and laughed, swinging her around. "It's been weeks, where on earth have you been?"

The Doctor put Martha down and frowned. "You are not my mother, Martha Jones, you don't need to worry about where I am."

Martha rolled her eyes. "I think that's exactly what I need to do." She was a slim young woman, older than Rose but not by too many years, with dark skin and black hair that was pulled off her face in a loose bun. She was a little bit shorter than Rose as well, and a lot shorter than the Doctor, but Rose could tell that he respected and loved her a great deal. Martha turned to Rose and smiled. "Is this who you were telling me about?"

"Yes. Martha Jones, this is Rose. Rose, Martha."

Stepping forward, Rose was suddenly unsure of how she should greet this woman. Meeting lords and ladies was completely different to meeting everyone else, but Martha simply smiled and offered a hand to shake. "It is good to meet you, Rose. He hasn't really stopped talking about you, and you know how he talks on, it's a wonder I can stand the sight of you after how he's been bellowing in my ear."

The Doctor looked scandalised, and Rose laughed. "Oh I know, he does his fair bit of talking about you as well. It seems to me that without you he would have been burnt to a crisp a long time ago."

"I'm beginning to think that you only keep me around to laugh at," the Doctor grumbled, arms folded.

"Oh no," Martha replied, deadly serious, "I need you to help me get ingredients down from high shelves."

"Yes, and you're good to lean on when I'm getting stones out of my shoes," said Rose. The Doctor tried to frown, but his insatiable grin came shining through as always.

"Rose, Martha makes me all of my potions and ointments, as well as healing my wounds. I would be lost without her."

"Are you really..." Rose trailed off, not wanting to appear rude. Martha simply looked at her kindly, and Rose decided that she probably would not mind being asked. "Are you really a witch?"

Grinning, Martha turned back around to her bench and removed a pot from over the flames, working to stop the smoke from engulfing the entire house. "That's what they say. There's two kinds, you see."

It only took a questioning look from Rose for the Doctor to launch into an enthusiastic explanation. "There are those who have natural magic – that is more geared towards certain things, a bond with nature, being able to speak to animals, control of the elements. Simple and effective, but quite specific. Then there are those who learn magic. It takes skill, dedication, a sharp mind and quite a bit of brilliance. That's Martha, in a nutshell."

"Oh be quiet." Martha shushed him good-naturedly, picking up the heavy iron pot and beginning to pour the liquid within into glass bottles. It turned out to be a bright blue, the brightest blue Rose had ever seen, and she quickly moved to replace the full bottle with an empty one. "Thank you."

Rose found herself smiling. "It's no trouble. And that explains why you have so many books on magic. Even in the libr—I mean, at home we have a lot of books, but barely any on magic. I think my father doesn't want me to get any ideas."

"My father and mother just wanted me to be a success," Martha told her, nodding her head at the Doctor, who moved forward and began to put corks in the top of the full bottles. Rose thought inwardly that the Doctor seemed to have quite a deep respect for Martha's skills, enough that he would follow her orders even though he was used to always being the person in charge. She wondered whether he had ever wished that he could lead a more normal life than he did. Not that Martha's profession was in any way normal, but the Doctor seemed to have no home, family or specific place of work to speak of. Martha seemed settled and happy to help him, and in some way the Doctor admired her for that. "I don't think they wanted me to be a witch, but I wanted it and I'm very good. I think they're proud of me for that."

"I'm sure they are," Rose agreed, "I wish my parents would be proud of me."

Martha frowned. "You seem like a good enough person to me. They must be proud of you, I'm sure, what do they—?"

"Martha," interrupted the Doctor, giving Rose the swiftest of glances, "would it be alright if we used your garden for practice. Rose is going to be my assistant in this one; I would like to make sure her skills are up to scratch."

"Of course, of course." Martha waved them towards the back door, already turning back towards the work bench in search of her next concoction. Rose flashed the Doctor a grateful look, before she registered what he had said and scowled.

"I'm not his assistant," she told Martha firmly, "more like a companion."

They spent a couple of hours in the garden at the back of Martha's house, the Doctor teach Rose with the sword and shield he had given her. Since Rose knew how to wield a dagger, and had spent much of her childhood running around with a sword, she did not find it too difficult to pick up the moves. She kept expecting to be told to hang back, or that she should observe rather than fight, but the Doctor seemed to believe in her. He could not be very worried about bringing her back unscathed, and his confidence made Rose feel stronger and more capable with every passing minute.

They bid Martha goodbye and left for the journey to the village where they would be needed in the early afternoon. The Doctor explained to Rose that dragons were normally lazy creatures, and waited for the day to warm up nicely before venturing out. "You would rarely see a dragon before late afternoon, so I'm normally not too worried about getting there ridiculously early. That's why it had to be a day and a night – by the time we've sorted it all out then there won't be any time to get you back home without you being discovered creeping inside in the dead of night."

"Wouldn't it be quicker to ride a horse?" Rose asked. She was not moaning exactly, but the bottoms of her feet were beginning to ache from walking along the stony path for hours.

The Doctor cocked his head to one side. "Yes it would be quicker, but it also costs money. And besides, I spend all my time here and there, doing this and that, I would never be able to keep a horse healthy and happy. I always used to want one though, when I was younger. I would have called it Arthur." He looked into the distance for a moment, and there was a hint of sadness in the set of his mouth and the angle of his eyebrows that made Rose feel a slight pain in her chest for him. She could tell without even asking that the Doctor's life had not always been as carefree and enjoyable as it seemed to be now, though she was also willing to bet that his life at the moment was a lot harder than he would care to admit to her.

When they got to the village they found it very nearly empty. The people were aware of the imminent attack – it seemed that they were perfectly willing to accept the existence of the creatures, unlike the rulers of the land – and had gone to shelter in an old fortress nearby, now disused but large enough and strong enough still to house the population of the small village easily.

Putting down the bag containing all that he needed, the Doctor pulled out Rose's sword and shield and handed them to her. "The shield has spells worked into the metal, courtesy of Martha. It will protect you from the fire, it shouldn't even get hot. I may be a dragon slayer, but as often as I can I try not to kill the dragons. They have an inbuilt instinct that makes them flee when they are engulfed in the fire of another dragon – it helps them to establish their territory. I have a device that can use their own fire against them. I can only bring myself to destroy them if there is really no other choice – if they threaten the lives of the people who live here. I cannot simply murder them because they exist." He brought out another shield for himself. It was the same in shape and size as Rose's, but it had a curious, circular pattern carved into the metal, and it was a deep, dark blue. She had no time to ask him about exactly how it worked, however, because a dreadful roar sounded in the distance just as she opened her mouth.

The Doctor turned to Rose and looked her straight in the eyes. "Here it comes. You mustn't be afraid, Rose. You can do this. There it is." He pointed behind her.

Rose looked up, and felt her jaw slacken as she forgot how to move any muscles in her body. Any book she had read, anything the Doctor had told her to prepare her for this moment had been inadequate. The dragon swooped over them on enormous, black wings, and even from this distance Rose could see the outlines of its scales, thousands and thousands of them that made up its armour.

"This could be a nasty one!" the Doctor shouted over the cacophony of the dragon's roar.

Rose could not find it in herself to answer him, and her sword dropped from her hand with a clang, striking a rock when it hit the ground and creating a sound that echoed for just a moment. It was enough, though. The dragon's head cocked to the side as it registered the noise, and it swooped around with a few beats of its wings, turning around and heading in a direction that was, unmistakably, towards Rose.

The Doctor looked across at her, his deep blue shield on his arm as his primary weapon, but still with his sword resting in his right hand as naturally as though he had been born holding it. "Are you ready?" he asked, and he seemed concerned. Rose wondered whether this was the first time that he doubted he had done the right thing in bringing her along with him.

Breathing deeply, Rose picked up her sword, clutching it in both hands before calming herself and transferring it to her right. "Yes." She glared at the dragon that was bearing down upon them, its yellow eyes whipping to and fro as it closed the distance between itself and its enemies. "Yes I am."


End file.
